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ArcaMax Gardening Daily Tips for Saturday May 24, 2008

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Gardening Daily TipsFor JoyceSaturday May 24, 2008

Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)

Q & A: Weeds in the Wildflowers

Q & A: Arborvitae Culture

Tip: Mow Cool-Season Grasses

Free Organic Gardening Tips

Reader Photos

Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) Today's Featured PlantFirethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) Read the full profile of this plant at ArcaMax.com. Interested in reading about other plants? Search through hundreds of plant profiles and helpful articles by keyword.

Q & A: Weeds in the Wildflowers

Question: I planted a wildflower garden by tossing seeds in a former vegetable garden about 3 years ago. The first year the garden looked beautiful, but now grass is taking over. Also, many of the flower varieties did not return and I would like to add more to them. Can I just toss a few more containers of wildflower seed around and hope they take? Or should I just till the entire area again and replant? Answer: Wildflower meadows are not maintenance-free although that is the impression that many people have. It's important to pull grass as soon as you see it, before it spreads or goes to seed. Also, be sure that the mix you plant is 100 percent flower seed, with no grass fillers. Some grasses spread by runners; tilling can chop up the runners, actually creating more plants. Before tilling, cover the area with a thick mulch of newspaper or cardboard to deprive the runners of light, and they should die in a month or so. Then till the area, water it, wait two weeks, and till again to remove germinating weed seeds. Then plant the wildflower seed. Generally, it can take several years to establish a wildflower area because some plants will return more vigorously than others, just as in nature. You need to (1) keep after the weeds, and (2) thin out the more vigorous wildflowers that you have too many of, and (3) continue to resow for variety. Follow the directions on the seed package; most meadows should be mown yearly to help disperse the annual seed.

Q & A: Arborvitae Culture

Question: My 3-year-old, 4-foot-tall arborvitae look terrible. The branches are long and somewhat bare near the trunk and they just don't have that bright green healthy look they had when I bought them. I occasionally give them a shot of fertilizer in the spring and summer. I also tie them up to protect them in the winter. Should I be pruning them too? Answer: The stubs should be showing all year. Finally, consider mulching the plants each spring with a layer of compost.

Tip: Mow Cool-Season Grasses

When mowing cool-season grasses such as bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, or fescue don't mow when wet, avoid sharp turns that scalp your lawn, and never cut more than 1/3 of the grass height at one mowing.

Free Organic Gardening Tips

Cut down on the chemicals in your yard and do something good for the environment -- learn about organic gardening and more in the ArcaMax Spring Gardening Guide. This special guide has more information for making your garden beautiful for summer, as well as recipes using herbs from your garden, fun downloadable games, and more. Visit the Spring Gardening Guide. Subscribe to the ArcaMax Gardening ezine instantly for free tips, reader-submitted photos, and more by e-mail. -- From the ArcaMax editors

Today's Reader Submitted Photos

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Sincerely, ArcaMax Editors

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